Naraina flyover opens partly; Ring Road traffic to get relief

The drive between West Delhi and South Delhi is all set to smoothen with Public Works Department (PWD) opening one carriageway of the new Naraina flyover.

The drive between West Delhi and South Delhi is all set to smoothen with Public Works Department (PWD) opening one carriageway of the new Naraina flyover.

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Though the carriageway the PWD has opened is meant for Dhaula Kuan-Mayapuri traffic, it will initially cater to Dhaula Kuan bound traffic coming from Mayapuri side.

PWD engineers said it would help cut down waiting time at the Naraina traffic intersection and reduce chaos along the congested stretch of the Ring Road.

Once this flyover is opened, about 30 km stretch of Ring Road, from Rajghat to Azadpur would become signal free.

The part of the flyover was opened after Delhi PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan inspected and reviewed the project with a team of senior PWD engineers.

According to senior PWD engineers, the other carriageway would take another five months to complete. “We hope to complete the project and open it for traffic by March 2010,” Chauhan said.

He said the single carriageway flyover at Rao Tula Ram crossing on Outer Ring Road in south Delhi and underpass and cloverleaves at ITO Chungi in East Delhi would also be opened in October 2009.

The 1.6-km-long flyover project at Naraina Crossing has already missed several deadlines. PWD engineers blame lack of space for construction and heavy volume of traffic for delay in work.

“Being a busy arterial road Ring Road can't be blocked completely to carry out work. Right now, there is only nine metre road available for the vehicles,” said a senior PWD official.

Costing Rs 120 crore, the flyover was approved in November 2006 while the actual construction started in March 2007.